Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

The gop couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

Republicans don’t trust women.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Every day Vance writes another chapter in the book called “Worst VP Pick Ever”.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

T R E 4 5 O N

When the time comes to make an endorsement, the pain of NYT editors will be palpable as they reluctantly whisper “Biden.”

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Biden: Oh no. We’ve upset Big Pharma again.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 903: Another Day, Another Horrific Russian War Crime

War for Ukraine Day 903: Another Day, Another Horrific Russian War Crime

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Two quick housekeeping notes. First, Rosie is still doing wonderfully between treatments. Here next one is this coming Monday. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Second, I’m fried and am going to try to keep tonight’s update as brief as possible.

As soon as the clock struck twelve and today became tomorrow in Ukraine, the air raid alerts started going up.

The Russians blew up a Ukrainian ambulance today killing medics and the wounded civilians they were trying to treat and medevac.

The cost:

“Today, in Kharkiv Oblast, the Russians committed another crime. An fpv drone targeted the evacuation vehicle of hospitallers in Kharkiv Oblast. There were injurys and 1 life lost. 😥😥

Yuriivna Mulkevich
(27.03.1989-14.08.2024)

Information about the farewell ceremony and funeral will be announced later.

The crew of three girls had to work the last day of their rotation today and be home with their families tomorrow. Three brave Ukrainian women, who chose the most peaceful and most dangerous idea as their mission to save human lives, were forced to change their peaceful professions and join the support of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. On the bloody account of the Russians, another torn young fate of a brave Ukrainian woman.

I express my deepest condolences to the family of the fallen Heroine – her husband and mother, her friends, siblings, step-sisters, crew. This is a very heavy loss for our battalion and for the entire state

🫡 Yana Zinkevich, Commander of the Volunteer Medical Battalion of Hospitaliers of the UDA
Source – https://t.me/uda_army/9604

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

We Continue Working with Our Partners on Long-Range Decisions for Ukraine – Address by the President

14 August 2024 – 19:49

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi has already reported several times today, both on our frontline situation and on our operation in the Kursk region. Just now we have also had a conversation. We have agreed that we will send additional weapons to our warriors in the Donetsk direction, from the next support packages – more than planned. I thank all our warriors – every soldier of ours, every sergeant, every officer – who resist the Russian pressure and defend our country.

Our advance in the Kursk region is going well today – we are reaching our strategic goal. The “exchange fund” for our state has also been significantly replenished.

Today, I also held a meeting with our government officials – the Prime Minister of Ukraine, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada was also present – to discuss support for our military actions in the Kursk region. It is important that Ukraine fights by the rules, and the humanitarian needs that exist in this area must be met.

Today’s report by the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine was also positive. Now I would like to thank all our SSU warriors, as well as the warriors of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine and all the structures involved. Thank you for the accurate, skillful and effective strikes on Russian airfields. Our Ukrainian drones work exactly as they should. But there are things that cannot be done with drones alone. Unfortunately. We need other weapons – missile weapons. And we continue working with our partners on long-range decisions for Ukraine – because these are forward-looking decisions for our victory. It has to be done. The bolder our partners’ decisions are, the less Putin will be able to do. And today I held a meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, our Office, the National Security and Defense Council. We have prepared an algorithm for our actions to achieve strong decisions by our partners. Victorious decisions.

I thank everyone who is helping Ukraine! Glory to all those who are fighting for our independence!

Glory to Ukraine!

Morning report by Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on the situation across all major directions, particularly in the Toretsk and Pokrovsk areas, as well as the operation in the Kursk region.

We are not forgetting our eastern front for a second. I have instructed the Commander-in-Chief to strengthen this direction using the equipment and supplies currently provided by our partners.

We are advancing in the Kursk region, one to two kilometers in various areas since the beginning of the day. We have captured more than 100 Russian servicemen during this period. I am grateful to everyone involved; this will accelerate the return of our guys and girls home.

Meeting on the situation in the Kursk region. We discussed key issues: security, humanitarian aid, and, if necessary, the establishment of military commandant’s offices.

Ukraine is defending itself and the lives of its people in border communities while also taking active steps on Russian territory. Our forces strictly adhere to the requirements of international conventions and humanitarian law.

The cost:

🕯️ Yuliya Boyanovska, a soldier of the 3rd oshbr, died in Luhansk region. She was 19
⬇️
https://novynarnia.com/2024/08/14/na-luganshhyni-zagynula-soldat-3-oshbr-yuliya-boyanovska-yij-bulo-19/

The reason:

The Ukrainians brought down another Su-34.

It is day 9 of Ukraine’s cross border offensive into Kursk Oblast, Russia.

Yep. Ukrainian troops involved in incursion told me Sunday at the Sumy-Kursk border they were told to hold their ground. And we have Zelensky saying today: “We discussed key issues: security, humanitarian aid, and, if necessary, the establishment of military commandant’s offices.”

I have good news for you, my nephew Bohdan “the Jew”, a scout, won a 2023 T80BVM tank with a mileage of 450 km, took it near Suja, now we need fuel that destroyed the enemy. Thank you for the donations, our boys are incredible.

Monobank
https://send.monobank.ua/jar/8DhDm5QqcP

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link

Administration of the village of Zaoleshenka, Suzhan district, Kursk region

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter Mark Krutov has the details on what types of forces Russia is deploying to counter the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk Oblast:

🧵/ Link in the last post. There are increasing reports in Russia about conscripts being sent to Kursk for reinforcement after the Russian army failed to push back Ukrainian forces there. Together with @pustota, we decided to take a deeper look into this issue.Image

First of all, this is not the first case of using conscripts in combat during this war. The most infamous one dates back to June 2022.

Second, legally, Russia can send its conscripts to war after 4 months of service and proper training. However, what we (and other journalists) have found is that those conscripted in the spring and being sent to Kursk most had served less than 4 months.Image
The scale of what we see is unknown, but we shouldn’t overestimate it. We spoke with several relatives of conscripts, and here’s a map of the regions they’re being sent from (add Tyumen oblast here, the confirmation arrived after our piece was published ) t.me/iditelesom_hel…
Image

A separate issue involves conscripts who were in Kursk already and were the first to face the Ukrainian offensive.

Many of them (unlike the lucky ones in the post above) survived and made it back to Kursk. Now they’re being forced to sign contracts and return to the fight. There’s even a petition demanding that this stop. Surely, it will change Putin’s mind (not).

We also found that not only conscripts from the 80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade in Murmansk oblast are being sent to Kursk, but those from the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (also Murmansk oblast) as well.

Interestingly, the 200th Brigade conscripts are scheduled to be sent to Kursk only in September, which among other things hints that Russia doesn’t expect a quick resolution to the Kursk issue.Image
Additionally, we learned that conscripts from the 15th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade near Samara are also being sent.Image

The NGO called ‘Go Through The Forest,’ which helps Russians avoid the army or even desert, confirms a spike in panic messages from relatives of conscripts.

But what can those conscripts really do? Quickly become POWs if sent on a combat mission? Fill in the defensive trenches that are being dug by Russians in Kursk Oblast, 15 kilometers from the Kursk NPP? That too, but… (sat. imagery by @planet, coords in the bottom right corner) 
…as @KofmanMichael puts it, they will probably also ‘prepare fortifications and provide support to regular units, because Russia has been unable to stabilize the front in Kursk Oblast and has no reserves behind the units on the front line’.Image
But what about more combat-ready troops? Did Ukraine force Russia to redeploy them from Donbass or Kharkiv? There aren’t many signs of it, to be honest.Image
Let @Tatarigami_UA speak: ‘While we observe some movements of units, such as the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, the core forces involved in the advances in Pokrovsk, Toretsk, or Chasiv Yar are still engaged in their operations’.Image
@Tatarigami_UA adds that interpreting messages about ‘reinforcements’ can be problematic. ‘It’s quite common nowadays for both sides to redeploy portions of units, like a battalion or two… 
…therefore, when we read reports indicating that Russia moved a certain unit because part of it was spotted and identified in Kursk, we need to be careful before jumping to conclusions, as it could be an undermanned battalion with 250 people or a brigade with 4,000.’Image

Also, let’s not forget that Russia has troops in the southern part of occupied Ukraine. Redeploying them to Kursk won’t significantly ease the situation on Pokrovsk axis or near Vovchans’k for Ukraine.

It’s still more unknowns in the battle in Kursk oblast than facts. How many conscripts or other reinforcements will be used by Russia depends on how the things will unfold in the next weeks. 
For now, I recommend you follow our dynamic Kursk battle map here (last updated this afternoon) svoboda.org/a/33069581.html
Image

Read the full story here (please Google Translate for your language). /END

We’ve seen Putin’s large-scale attempts to fix holes in the Kursk region with scores of young Russian conscripts thrown at advancing elite Ukrainian airborne units.

That’s not seen since the First Chechen War or the Soviet-Afghan war. And this is something that Putin repeatedly lied about by vowing never to use young conscripts in combat against Ukraine.

Back in the 1990s, Russian people were wreaking havoc over the fact that their military was sending their 18-year-old sons to die for nothing in Ichkeriya.

Mothers used to literally storm military HQs and demand that they take their sons back home alive.

Now, as we know, the Russian military is preparing to send new conscripts to the Kursk region and is forcing them to sign contracts and thus become full-fledged contracted military servicemembers.

And you know?

No large-scale protests against Putin sending young conscripts to massacre for his idiotic war for his own bruised ego and his ability never to admit his failure at any price.

There are only some reports saying that there was a Change.org petition humiliatingly begging Putin to live up to his promise and not to send unprepared, conscripted youngsters to death.

The way the sleazy Kremlin mafia has corrupted and submitted the Russian people at the most basic levels of human nature is unbelievable.

Support my work if you want:
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Donetsk Oblast:

This would be a good time for Ukraine’s foreign supporters to increase ammunition deliveries, at least over the short term. More ammunition could partially compensate for a lack of forces available defending against Russian advances in Donetsk oblast and lessen the strain on Ukrainian units under heavy pressure.

Kharkiv Oblast:

Sumy Oblast:

From United24 Media:

During this summer alone, Russian forces have launched more than 2,000 strikes on the territory of Sumy region, utilizing a range of weaponry including rockets, artillery, anti-aircraft missiles, attack drones, and mortars.

Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, stated that these attacks have been launched specifically from the Kursk region.

Particularly, Russia has launched over 100 missiles, 255 guided bombs, and more than 2000 attacks by MLRS, artillery, and drones.

In addition, the relentless Russian attacks have prompted the priority evacuation of residents from 183 settlements across 15 territorial communities in the Sumy region. Over 20,000 people, including almost 2,500 children, have already been evacuated due to the constant threat of Russian terror.

In response to these ongoing attacks, the creation of a buffer zone in the Kursk region was seen as a crucial step to protect Ukrainian border communities from daily shelling by the Russian forces.

In addition to military measures, Ukrainian forces are coordinating with the Ministry of Internal Affairs to address the humanitarian needs of residents in the defensive operation zone.

“Russia has abandoned these communities without essential supplies, and efforts are now underway to provide drinking water, food, medicine, and hygiene products to the affected population. These humanitarian initiatives are being carried out in full compliance with international law,” according to a statement issued by Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, on August 14.

Recently, on August 12 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially stated that Ukraine is conducting an operation in the Kursk region of Russia. According to the latest data, Ukraine was controlling 74 settlements, about 1,000 km² of the territory of the Russian Federation. Zelenskyy has also stated that hundreds of Russian soldiers surrendered to Ukrainian forces.

Die Ziet reporter Olivia Kortas has more from Sumy Oblast.

I was in #Sumy on Monday for @zeit and spoke to soldiers from several brigades about their activities in #Kursk region. Here are some insights. 1/n 
First of all: Commanders don’t comment. Press officers reject requests. The soldiers I spoke to asked to only share limited information with the public. They themselves don’t know the aims of this offensive or what they will be required to do in a week from now. 2/n 
Their confidence was striking and stood in stark contrast to other parts of the frontline. I had been in Pokrovsk and Zaporizhzhia region just a week ago. The mood there has shifted, soldiers told me about new recruits going AWOL or dying within a few days. 3/n 
The men I talked to in Sumy are part of mobile groups/units, experienced in offensive actions and quick maneuvers. Some of them arrived to prepare the offensive, without realising what they were doing. “Until the last moment, I was sure we were defending“, one of them said. 4/n 
This is only one of the many indications of how carefully this offense was planned. 5/n 
Out of the 3 scenarios that military experts consider realistic (expanding further, holding, retreating completely), all men I spoke to were in clear favor of the 1st one: Expanding a bit more, then holding. One said: It is an amazing feeling to finally have enough munition. 6/n 
Working on Russian territory brings new challenges, especially in the sphere of communication. Starlink doesn’t work. The Ukrainians can use radios (or even Russian sim cards), but it makes them trackable. This leads to a limited knowledge of the territory ahead. 7/n 
Now logistics is key. If the aim is to hold territory, Ukrainian soldiers need to set up supply lines and ensure safe ways for the evacuation of material & men. Currently, the problems with communication and surveillance are standing in the way. 8/n 
For more details, read our brief dispatch in tomorrow’s @DIEZEIT. 9/9 

Russia:

/1. Tonight there was a large attack by Ukrainian drones on three Russian military airfields: Borisoglebsk and Baltimore in the Voronezh region, as well as Savasleika Nizhny Novgorod region.

Baltimore and Borisoglebsk are located 180km and 340km from the front line. Savasleika, which is a Russian MiG-31 base, is located 650 km from the front line.

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets or videos tonight. Here is some adjacent material. Who’s a good Ukrainian war robodoggo!

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

35Comments

  3. 3.

    Jay

    Anton Gerashchenko
    @Gerashchenko_en
    6h
    “Kadyrovites are slackers, selfie men and bullsh*tters. Show me at least one of them who has accomplished a feat worthy of the orders they wear.”

    “I didn’t know I was going to end up at the front at all. I thought I would just serve in a unit like everyone else does. I didn’t think I’d end up at the border.”

    Two stories by Russian captives. One of them is 18 years old.

    https://nitter.poast.org/Gerashchenko_en/status/1823779136751673803#m

  4. 4.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Jay: I read that the Chechens were celebrating the fact that their units did not take a single casualty during the surprise Ukrainian offensive. I also read that official Russia media praised the Chechen units for their “proactive tactical withdrawal” to “preserve their forces”.

  5. 5.

    Jay

    WarTranslated (Dmitri)
    @wartranslated
    15h
    Ukrainian report from Sudzha, where many residents were left to deal with hunger and Russian air strikes until Ukrainian aid arrived together with journalists.

    https://nitter.poast.org/wartranslated/status/1823647895305822328#m

    Vid attached,

    WarTranslated (Dmitri)
    @wartranslated
    3h
    Ukrainian Ministry of Reintegration has opened a 24-hour hotline for residents of the Kursk region who need humanitarian assistance or who want to evacuate to Ukraine.

    https://nitter.poast.org/wartranslated/status/1823830011264057522#m

  6. 6.

    Jay

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    That’s funny, given that the UA Forces have taken over 30 “Kadarovite’s” as POW’s, (Kadarovite’s “never surrender,……….oops) and left a Brigaides worth of Kadorovite bodies littering the streets.

    I guess Kadarovite math is limited to “1 goat, 2 goats, 3 goats,….”.

  8. 8.

    BR

    I’ve been a bit out of the loop about the Ukrainian incursion into Russia, and am still trying to understand what the goal is. I saw a report that they are looking to hold the territory for the longer haul, which doesn’t make sense to me. I thought they were doing it to 1) rattle Putin and 2) hit Russian bases that were otherwise out of range. I don’t get the value in holding territory. Does anyone have a good explanation for what the goal is?

  9. 9.

    KatKapCC

    I just can’t understand the resistance to letting Ukraine strike whenever and wherever they want. It seems like it’s basically telling Ukrainians that we don’t care how many of them die.

  11. 11.

    Jay

    @BR:

    Ukraine has not said what the strategic goal is.

    The three current “analist” theories are:

    #1. Show that ruZZian red lines are meaningless and “Western” fears of escalation are self sabotage.

    #2. Create a “cordon sanitaire” inside ruZZia from which ruZZia can’t launch artillery, missile and air attacks on Ukrainian border cities and settlements.

    #3. Force the ruZZian Military “Mir” to destroy Sumy Oblast leaving as they have in Ukraine, a “dead zone” that can never be rebuilt, littered with the graves of their own people, landmines and UXO.

  19. 19.

    Devore

    Thanks Adam.  I was surprised when looking at a map of Russia that Moscow is only an 8 hour drive from Kursk.  Or a few hour drive to get in ATACMS range of Moscow    Wonder if that’s freaking some Russians out

  21. 21.

    West of the Rockies

    So, yet another Russian war crime. Will Russia ever face consequences of any bloody sort for these atrocities, or do polite countries just look away and tut-tut?

    Are there zero consequences for this bullshit?

  23. 23.

    BR

    @Jay:

    I see. So combining these potential goals, it’s almost like creating a Korean DMZ type situation that is simultaneously dangerous and also a barrier for both sides.

  25. 25.

    Jay

    @craigie:

    There was a great short vid a few days ago, of a camo’d SOF operator, and his camo’d robo dog. Stationary, they were almost invisible at even close range.

    There was a sound off in the verge, and the operator sent the robo dog out to investigate. The robo dog found nada, returned and both disappeared again.

    The robo dogs can see, (video), hear, haul, so they can do tasks that would endanger a human.

  27. 27.

    dimmsdale

    My deep & sincere thanks for your work, Adam. I don’t know how the hell you do it. But I am grateful.

  28. 28.

    Carlo Graziani

    @BR: I don’t really see it that way.

    In my opinion, the entire point—the main strategic goal— of the offensive is to take and hold some part of Russian territory and defend it, pethaps for months, perhaps indefinitely.

    The reason to believe this is that unlike the objectives that @Jay: cites, this can potentially create a crisis menacing Putin’s power, a political threat disproportionate to the military significance of the territorial seizures. A drawn-out campaign to defend the environs of Sudzha-Koronevo, properly reinforced by defensive works, would likely unhinge both Russian military planning and Russian political equilibria.

    More than taking prisoners (important, but the gusher is down to a trickle now), certainly more than establishing any security belt (a belt likely ultimately consolidated to 50 km wide, 20 km deep? Really? Against Russia?), absolutely more than sending any signal to the allies (absurdly wasteful in Donetsk, if this puny objective were really the point); taking-and-holding makes perfect sense. Not only will it eventually force the Russians to move their meat grinder battle North from Donetsk, as they cannot afford two such efforts, but it roils Russian society and politics in a way that Putin cannot afford, and that scrotal pressure (according to the great American moral philosopher Theodore Roosevelt) might be the only thing that would make him see reason.

  29. 29.

    Jay

    @Carlo Graziani</

    Logo
    Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦
    @IAPonomarenko
    13h
    We’ve seen Putin’s large-scale attempts to fix holes in the Kursk region with scores of young Russian conscripts thrown at advancing elite Ukrainian airborne units.

    That’s not seen since the First Chechen War or the Soviet-Afghan war. And this is something that Putin repeatedly lied about by vowing never to use young conscripts in combat against Ukraine.

    Back in the 1990s, Russian people were wreaking havoc over the fact that their military was sending their 18-year-old sons to die for nothing in Ichkeriya.

    Mothers used to literally storm military HQs and demand that they take their sons back home alive.

    Now, as we know, the Russian military is preparing to send new conscripts to the Kursk region and is forcing them to sign contracts and thus become full-fledged contracted military servicemembers.

    And you know?

    No large-scale protests against Putin sending young conscripts to massacre for his idiotic war for his own bruised ego and his ability never to admit his failure at any price.

    There are only some reports saying that there was a Change.org petition humiliatingly begging Putin to live up to his promise and not to send unprepared, conscripted youngsters to death.

    The way the sleazy Kremlin mafia has corrupted and submitted the Russian people at the most basic levels of human nature is unbelievable.

    Support my work if you want:
    buymeacoffee.com/saintanger
    PayPal:     [email protected]
    Aug 14, 2024 · 1:14 PM UTC

    https://nitter.poast.org/IAPonomarenko/status/1823709888716878073#m

    Funny, that.

    100+ prisoners taken yesterday.

    Anton Gerashchenko
    @Gerashchenko_en
    16h
    “Not the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but dressed-up NATO soldiers have entered Russia’s Kursk region!” – that’s what they’re telling the Russians.

    Dear followers from NATO countries, I decided to translate this for you because you may not be aware that you have already entered the territory of Russian Federation.

    https://nitter.poast.org/Gerashchenko_en/status/1823676377515667647#m

    Just you average, everyday ruZZian.

    While ruZZians are revolting, they are not “revolting” and never will.

  31. 31.

    Carlo Graziani

    @Jay: Ponomarenko’s views are not dispositive of the views of GUR. It’s just Xittering.

    In any event we will know what’s up in a week or two, from what the UA does after the offensive is contained. It’s hardly worth shouting about now.

  32. 32.

    Jay

    @M Hall:

    I think that is a side effect, not a goal. When Wagner made their run, the ruZZian Army R-U-N-N-O-F-T.

    I don’t know what the strategic Ukrainian Goal is, and Ukraine is not saying.

  33. 33.

    way2blue

    @Jay:  Thank you for taking the time to collect & post these snippets.  <   Even when Adam scolds you for posting something he already covered  ;-)   >   They give me food for thought and threads to pull…

  35. 35.

    Sally

    Adding to everyone else’s comments, I have read that Ru has greatly reduced bombing runs due to fear of UA AD in Kursk. Whether of not UA has AD there, I don’t know, but the Ru are afraid that they do. So, a worthwhile goal if it holds.

Comments are closed.